Catch and Release
by Calie1
Summary: Catching her was the easy part, letting her go and believing she would come back was harder.


He watched her from across the room, not a hair out of place, makeup perfect, slacks creased, blouse ironed flat, and a pair of high heels to top it off. It all looked so Chloe, but not his Chloe, not now. In one room, the closest they had been in month, but they could have been miles away. The others had milled out slowly, glancing at them when Oliver had yelled for them all to leave, Dinah giving him a look of hurt. He wished he could have felt bad about but he couldn't.

Here green eyes were wide and innocent. Her appearance didn't hint at the woman who had played their lives like a game, lining them up like chess pieces. She didn't look like the woman who had left him, breaking his heart for the greater good.

"I can't stay."

His mouth was dry, bitter, muscles tense as if ready for a strike, her strike. Not a physical one, the mental one he knew had been coming. For months he suspected that when he found her, or she found him, the reunion wouldn't be pleasant, rather a meeting filled only with more heart break. "I'm not surprised."

"You won't even look at me?"

Her voice was strained. Oliver could see the pain, hear it. Oh he was looking at her, watching every move, every twitch of a muscle, every flash of emotion. But would he let her see him? No. Would he lower the hood and remove the glasses? Never. "I'm looking at you."

She sighed, shuttering slightly and nodded. "It just has to be this way."

It was a bitter pill to swallow, hearing her say out loud that they had to be apart, that their lives couldn't intertwine. "When?"

Her throat visible moved as she swallowed, eyes widening. "As soon as I can."

He felt another stab to his heart, over and over again. So easily she had ripped his heart from him, and somehow, she had managed to come back and find what bits were left behind and taken them with her. Anger burned within him at the thought that she would leave him, that she could do this to him. "The sooner the better I assume."

"Yes," she whispered softly.

With a nod Oliver turned away, heading towards the exit, ignoring the pain in his chest and his inability to breathe, as he walked away. He'd go home, strip off his gear and sit there, and just sit there, knowing she was leaving, leaving him. Any hope of being with her again completely shattered.

"Ollie."

The plea made him falter, his steps slowing, a natural reaction to her voice sounding so desperate, but he recovered quickly, heading straight towards the doors.

"Please."

She begged. He could hear the short gasp following her words, the whimper and the shudder and he stopped.

"Don't, just...don't, please."

Damn her. Turning, he waited, refusing to speak. If he did he would yell at her, show how upset and hurt he was. He'd beg her, plead with her to stay. So Oliver said nothing, and just stood waiting for her to speak. But she said nothing, and instead doing the worst thing possible. Slowly, she took small steps near him, nothing like the hard determined steps he remembered. Fighting to urge to step back, he waited and watched.

There were inches between them when she stopped; her wide green eyes open to him, baring herself to him like she had never done before. When her hand lifted he tensed, watching its ascent, fearful of her touch. It had been too long. Too long since anyone had touched him intimately, too long since she had touched him.

Chloe reached up hesitantly, scared that he would pull away. The Oliver in front of her, he was someone she didn't know. For too long she had watched him from afar, watching him become someone different, someone new. She'd burned him, much more than she ever thought possible. What Chloe hadn't predicted was the unforeseen consequences. She couldn't have seen how he would feel, how her disappearance would hurt him. When her fingers first touched his cheek, he flinched, his head pulling back slightly, but she had steeled herself to his possible rejection and raised her hand higher, brushing the side of his hood and slowly pushed it back, her fingertips brushing through his blond hair, the softness of it making her shudder with its familiarity. He didn't move though. And with her courage increasing by the second, she touched the side of his glasses, pulling them slowly off, wanting to see his face again, but scared of what she would see there.

Deep brown eyes stared down at her, his eyes wary and far away. Nothing like the gentle ones she recalled coming into Watchtower every day, a grin accompanying them.

"You're leaving, what do you want?"

The harshness of his voice stung. It didn't matter if a small voice in the back of her insisted it was because she hurt him, that he still felt something for her. What she wanted was to go back, stop him from going to that damn satellite station. She wanted to run away, and ignore the well being of the world and be with him forever, ignoring their fate. That's what she wanted. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry changes nothing."

It would have been so much less painful to be slapped in the face. "I know," her voice choked, the first tear slipping out, "but not like this. Don't walk away like this." Grasping his face in her panic, the stubble rubbing her palms, she pulled his head down and tilted his head further down. "Ollie, please."

His hands rose, grasping her hands and pulled them down. "What do you want? One more night?" He shook his head. "It doesn't work like that."

Mouth parted and eyes widened in shock she watched as he pushed her hands down and stepped back, away from her and turned again. "Don't do this to me...please."

Her words struck Oliver hard. Her, don't do this to her? Slowly, his eyes narrowed and then every promise he made to himself to walk away was out the window. He spun on her, anger surging through him. "Don't do this to you?" He grounded out slowly. "You!" With a deep breath, trying to calm himself, he yelled. "You did this to me! You left me!"

"I-"

"You made this sacrifice that you had no right to make! You left me here, with no clue where you were, if you were safe, trying to pick up the pieces!" Grabbing her arms roughly, he yanked her towards him and pressed her against his chest. "You let me love you, and then you left me."

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry," Chloe cried, shaking her head, ignoring his rough grip on her arms, the way her heels lifted off the floor.

Teary eyed, she looked up at him, her green eyes shining, her cheeks damp, and lashes dark. Lord, she looked beautiful. All he wanted to do was take her out of there, away. If he could, he'd undo it all, just for her. He wouldn't have crashed on that island, met Tess, become the Green Arrow, met Clark, met Lois… none of it. He'd undo it all for her, just to be with her. Slowly, relaxing his hold on her, he let her slide down his body. She blinked quickly, tears slipping down her cheeks and he knew, before it happened, he was taken. Surrendering, he lowered his head and claimed her lips.

Chloe whimpered, her body almost giving out beneath her. If it hadn't been for his hands on her arms, she would have fallen. She was coming apart at the feel of him parting her lips, the smell of him as she inhaled. Her mission lost to her, she grasped his neck, pulling herself higher and kissing him with everything she had. All the fear, hope, need, loss, anger, happiness, and love poured all into that kiss. Everything she felt when she was apart from him and with him.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, sliding his other hand into her hair, pulling her tight against him, securing her there. In that moment, he at least knew she was there, nowhere for her to escape from him. If it was only always so easy. But she held on to him, pressing against him, arching. "You're not leaving here without me." He said forcefully.

She nodded, unable to argue. Plans were already made, there were things she must do, but standing there with him, so close, she couldn't leave. Not yet.

With a start she woke, shooting up, the air brushing her bare skin, nipples hardening. A hand touched her back, sliding over it, pulling her back. She strained against its pull for a moment, and then she slowly relaxed, moving into Oliver's embrace, curling into his body.

"You're going to try to leave," he said simply. Being with her the night before had been what he had expected and more. Angry, intense, painful, happy, and so much more. Oliver rode every emotion until he gripped onto her body, burying his face into her neck, fear gripping his heart.

"Are you going to try and stop me?" Chloe dug her nails into his chest, fearful of his response.

"Where does this end Chloe?"

"I don't know," she whispered sadly, sliding up his body wrapping her arm around him, pressing her face into his neck. "I don't want to go," she whispered, "but it isn't over."

"And when it is?" He asked fearfully, scared of her response.

Slowly, she lifted her head up, her eyes matching to fear she could see in his own. "Will you still want me?"

Pushing off the bed, and swiftly rolling her onto her back, Oliver slid his hand into her hair, looking intently down at her, because she had to have lost her mind. "I've never stopped wanting you. I've never stopped loving you. If you tell me you're coming back to me I'll believe you. I'll wait."

For months she had been resolved to a future without Oliver, a bleak future. There was no other man for her. She could never love another like she did him. But seeing him again, being with him again, she couldn't leave him again and be resolved to a life without him. "Okay," she nodded, bringing her hand up to his face, cradling it, feeling the need to give him comfort. Some would say if he loved her, then he would never let her go. But Oliver understood, and if he loved her, he'd let her go. He would trust her word that everything would be okay. "I don't know how long."

"I'll give you time," he said softly, and lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers, "but I'm an impatient man Chloe. And after so long, I'm coming after you."

And unknown timeline had been set. Already she felt the need to get out there, start again. It was a weird feeling, knowing he caught her once and would release her, only to maybe try and catch her again. But she'd do her best, to come back to him on her own. And if it came down to it, if he had to find her because he was tired of waiting, she would go with him. At some point she'd have to stop taking it all on herself. He'd always told them they were a team, him and her, that they needed to work together. At some point, she'd have to accept that. But until then, she'd run again, this time not with a goal of saving the world, but returning to Oliver.


End file.
